The word “abortion” first appeared in a Republican platform in 1976,
when the Party hadn’t yet made up its mind on reproductive freedom. The
platform acknowledged that “the question of abortion is one of the most
difficult and controversial of our time.” The 1976 G.O.P. favored “a
continuance of the public dialogue on abortion,” which it called a
“moral and personal issue,” while expressing support for “those who seek
enactment of a constitutional amendment to restore protection of the
right to life for unborn children.”Decades later, there is no more in-between language. . . .